Many recent veterans unable to find work

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY

Unemployment payments to servicemembers fresh out of the military have doubled since 2008, a sign that veterans are returning from war to an increasingly tough job market.

The military paid $882 million in unemployment benefits last year, up from $450 million in fiscal 2008. The 2011 figures are trending even higher.

Veterans are having a particularly tough time finding jobs. The estimated jobless rate among male veterans ages 18-24 was more than 30% in May, compared with 18% among male civilians of the same age group, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

With some exceptions, troops honorably discharged are eligible for unemployment checks if actively looking for civilian work.

"We're currently spending that much for people who are sitting home becoming more and more depressed," says Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. She is pushing legislation that would help troops enter the civilian workforce.

Last year, more than 90,000 veterans recently out of the service were unemployed for months, some until benefits checks were exhausted, according to the Department of Labor.

State unemployment benefits now last up to 26 weeks, and the average period of unemployment compensation among these veterans last year was 21 weeks, the department says.

The weak economy is one reason for the increase in benefits, says Gay Gilbert, director of the department's office of unemployment insurance.

Each service branch reimburses states for checks written to former servicemembers struggling to find work, the department says.

The Army, the largest service, paid out $505 million in fiscal 2010, up from $226 million in 2008. Navy unemployment checks totaled $99 million in fiscal 2008 and $157 million last year. The Air Force paid $59 million in 2008 and $81 million in 2010. And the Marine Corps wrote $129 million in unemployment checks last year, compared with $63 million in 2008.

Even for former members of the Coast Guard, unemployment benefits rose from $4.6 million in 2008 to $9.5 million last year.

Active-duty troops and former members of the National Guard or Reserve who have been on active duty for 90 continuous days or longer are eligible for benefits.

Legislation that Murray introduced last month would require troops to attend courses in finding work, building careers and improving résumé and interviewing techniques. Currently, these programs are voluntary, except in the Marine Corps.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith says the military already plans to expand those programs to focus on information technology and help with licensing and certification so troops can use skills learned in the military — such as work as medics or truck drivers — in civilian employment.

Murray warns that current jobless trends among new veterans could leave more of them homeless.

"They're young. They're brave. They're enthusiastic. The world's their oyster," Murray says. "They come home and it's a shock to them that six months later they don't have a job."

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